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1967 Epiphone Deluxe A-212
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Serial #: 892803
Body size at lower bout: 17 3/8" Scale length: 25 1/2" Fingerboard width at nut: 1 10/16"
Finish: Original sunburst finish, nitrocellulose lacquer type.
Materials: Handcarved, bookmatched solid spruce top; solid maple neck; arched maple back and sides; ebony fingerboard with mother of pearl cloud inlay; ebony bridge with inlaid feet, pearl tree-of-life peghead inlay, 7-ply top binding 3-ply headstock and body binding, 5-ply pickguard binding; neck and back; bone nut.
Hardware: 100% original hardware including gold Johnny Smith pickup, quintuple bound tortoise pickguard with control and mini-jack; gold Kluson Sealfast tuners, gold no-logo Frequensator tailpiece; adjustable compensated Brazilian rosewood bridge; adjustable truss rod, original medium jumbo frets.
Notes: Introduced in 1932, the Epiphone Deluxe epitomized the glamour and sophistication of New York at the height of the Swing Era. Favored by jazz legends from Les Paul to Johnny Smith, for most of the next four decades the upmarket Deluxe remained the only serious competitor to the Gibson L-5. With the acquisition of Epiphone by Gibson in 1957 however, production of this legendary model dwindled into the low single digits. This spectacular instrument is one of just eight lone Deluxes made that year, before the model was discontinued altogether in 1970.
Acoustic Epi Deluxes with the cutaway body are rare enough as it is. For reasons unclear, Epiphone dawdled on regular production of cutaway guitars until the late 40's, leaving the field to Gibson for almost a decade. This inexplicable delay meant that Epiphone acoustic cutaways, especially the top-of-the line models, remain some of the rarest production archtops in the world. With the Epi buyout, Gibson crafted both Deluxes and Emperors with Gibson's top artisans, on the same production line as the L-5 and Super 400.
Preserved in astounding 100% original condition, this gleaming guitar has a solid carved quartersawn spruce soundboard, and the deep Epiphone cutaway (2 frets more than L-5C), which allows unrestricted access to the uppermost reaches of the fingerboard. The body and neck are in phenomenal condition, with all original sunburst finish without pick, buckle, thumb or fingerboard wear. The soundboard is carved of exceptionally fine grained tonewood, and the back shows flame figure from rim to rim. The solid ebony fingerboard bears the signature cloud inlays, borrowed a few years later by Gibson for their ultra-premium Citation model.
The acoustic voice of the guitar is clear and precise, with excellent balance and definition. Through the amp the original floating Johnny Smith pickup is warm and rich, with classic '60s jazz tone. A volume control and mini-jack are mounted on the bound tortoise guard as well. The gentle C profile neck is slim, elegant and utterly effortless in the hand, and the original medium jumbo frets play smoothly with a sleek low action. If a finer example of this legendary guitar exists today, we've never seen it. The best kept secret in the archtop world. One only: call now.
Setup: The frets have been precision leveled, recrowned and polished; trussrod tension and neck relief adjusted; bridge height adjusted; bridge compensation set; string slots at nut and bridge inspected and recut as necessary; bridge foot contour inspected and fit to top as necessary; bridge radius inspected and recurved as necessary; bridge wheels and tuners lubricated; fingerboard and bridge oiled; body and neck cleaned and hand polished.
This instrument is strung with medium gauge strings (.013-.057). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 5/64" to 6/64" at the 12th fret, with moderate relief for acoustic playing with medium strings. The action may be lowered or raised to your requirements with the adjustable bridge.
Case: Original deluxe Epiphone hardshell case.
